Combination electric lock-switch.



R. 0. HAMMOND.

COMBINATION ELECTRIC LOCK SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-12.1915.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

TE E; 4 E-U.HHMMDND UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT D. HAMMOND, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO BERNARD URDANG, G PATEBSON, NEW JERSEY.

COMBINATION ELEGTRIG LOCK-SWITCH.

Application filed November 12, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT O. HAMMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combination Electric Lock-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in combination lock switches especially adapted for use in connection with introduction coils or the like.

An object of this invention is to provide a switch that will complete an electric circuit and at the same time produce a means whereby said circuit can only be completed by one familiar with the proper combination of the same.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combination switch particularly adapted for use in connection with the ignition apparatus of automobiles or .the like and designed to protect the owner of such a machine against the unlawful use of the same by persons who take advantage of his absence and endeavor to make use of his machine while left temporarily in a public thoroughfare or the like, as only the owner or one that knows the proper combination of the switch will prove capable of completing the circuit so as to permit the operation of said machine.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an electric combination lock switch having apparently numerous contact points but the majority of which are dead thus producing a means whereby said switch is locked when one or more of the resilient contact arms of the same are in contact with the dead points and unlocked when all of said arms are in contact with the live points which are known to the operator only.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention resides in the novel features of construction, formations, combinations, and arrangements of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my combination switch;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1, illustrating the lovers in elevation;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

Serial No. 61,103.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the resilient contact arms.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by similar characters of reference throughout the numeral 10 denotes in general my combination electric switch which consists of a casing 11 having apertures 12 formed therein at the lower end thereof as a means whereby said switch may be substantially secured to the dash board of an automobile or the like.

This casing 11 includes an outwardly extended cylindrical flange 12' having a groove 0r notch 13 formed in the lower end thereof to receive a lug 14 extending from a disk 15 which fits within said cylindrical flange 12 and lies flush with the outer edge of the same, thus it will be readily seen that this lug 14 engages the notch 13 and thus limits the undesired movement of said disk 15 when in position.

Passing through the outer edge of the disk 15 and at a suitable distance from the center of the same are a series of conducting members 16 arranged in circular alinement to each other and having fiat contacting heads 17 formed thereon which are slightly raised above the outer face of the disk 15, the object of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The lower ends of these conducting members 16 are threaded, as indicated by the numeral 18, and are adapted to receive a suitable nut, or the like, 19 for the purpose of securing thereto the end of a wire and, as illustrated by the accompanying drawing, it will be readily seen that two short strands of wire A-A have their opposite ends secured to certain of these conducting members 16, while the customary coil engaging wire B and ground wire G are con nected with other of said members 16. All of these wires are so arranged and connected so as to produce a series of contact ing points 20, 20', 21, 21, 22, and 22' upon the face of the disk 15, the contacting points 21 and 21 being produced by the inner terminals of the short strands of wire A, while the contacting points 22 and 22' are produced by the outer terminal of one of the wires A and the inner terminal of the ground wire C, while still. the contacting.

points 20 and 20 are produced by the outer terminal of another of said wires A and the inner terminal of the coil engaging wire B.

This arrangement of wires A, B, and C is merely produced to illustrate the idea and it is to be remembered that this arrangement may be changed by simply connecting the terminals of said wires with other of said conducting members 16 thus changing the combination upon the face of the disk 15, thus it will be readily seen that the combination of this device may be changed any number of times so that should some one learn the original combination without authority the owner can readily change said combination and easily overcome this difficulty.

Passing centrally through the disk 15 is a bolt 23 the inner end of which is threaded to be received byv an aperture 24 formed in the casing 11 thus substantially clamping said disk 15 in proper relation with said casing While rotatably mounted and held in spaced relation to each other by means of washers 25, at the opposite end of said bolt 23, are a series of levers 26, 27, and 28 each of which is provided with a downwardly extending resilient contacting arm 29 having a plurality of fingers 30 formed thereon for engagement with the flat contacting heads 17 carried by the conducting members 16 and as before stated slightly elevated above the surface of the disk 15, thus it is to be readily understood that the fingers 30 of said contacting arms 29 will slidably engage each and every contacting head 17 while their respective lever is being rotated upon the bolt 23 but when arranged so as to engage the proper contact heads 17 one of these fingers 30 will engage one contacting head 17 to which one end of a wire is connected while the other finger 30 engages the other contacting head 17 to which the end of another of said wires is connected thus completing the circuit between these two contacting points and permitting the current to enter through one of the fingers 30 and pass through the resilient contacting arm and continue through the other finger 30, while the remaining two contacting arms 29 produce the same function with their respective contacting points thus completing the entire circuit. It is to be remembered, however, that it is necessary for all these resilient contacting arms 29 to be in contact with their respective contacting heads 17 before circuit is completed, otherwise, the circuit will be broken as the conducting members not engaged by the terminals of said wires are dead membersand to provide a means whereby the operator of such a device may readily determine the location of the live contact points, I have designated upon the face of the disk 15 by numerals, each pair of flat contacting heads 17 and, as illustrated by the accompanying drawing, the combination of the switch, as illustrated by Fig. 1, is 8, 25, and 21 therefore it is necessary for each one of the resilient contacting arms to engage its respective contacting points as illustrated by this view of the drawing, if a complete circuit is desired, otherwise, the circuit will remain broken. This combination however may be changed any number of times as before stated.

The casing 11 and disk 15 of this switch as well as the levers 26, 27, and 28 are to be constructed from any suitable non-conductive material while the resilient contacting arms 29 which are secured by any suitable means to said levers are to be constructed from any suitable conductive material so as to receive the current through one finger 30 passing it through the contacting arm 29 and continue the same through the other finger 30 thus performing its function.

For convenience, I have provided each of these levers 26, 27, and 28 at their forward end thereof with a suitable knob, or the like, 31 to permit the operator to readily grasp and rotate any one of said levers. I have also provided the casing 11 with a plurality of apertures 32 through which the wires B and C are passed and thus concealed from the observers eye.

It is now thought that the above description together with the accompanying drawing sufficiently set forth the construction and operation of this device to enable those familiar with this art to readily understand the construction, operation, and many advantages of the same.

It should be understood, however, in this connection that various minor changes in the details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

From the foregoing disclosure taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be manifest that I have provided an electric lock switch adapted for use in connection with the ignition apparatus of automobiles or the like which will fulfil all of the necessary requirements of such a device.

Having thus fully described this invention, what I claim, as new and wish to protect by Letters Patent is: V

, 1. A combination electric switch comprising a casing, a disk secured thereto, a series of conducting members secured to said disk and extending therethrough, producing a series of contact points upon the outer face ofsaid disk, a series of wires connected with certain of said conducting members, a bolt passing centrally through said disk and engaging said casing, a series of levers to tatably mounted thereon and each of said levers having a contact arm secured thereto and provided With a plurality of fingers for engagement With said contact points upon the outer face of said disk, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A combination electric lock switch comprising a casing, a disk secured thereto, a series of conducting members secured to said disk and extending therethrough, a series of Wires connected With certain of said conducting members, a series of contact points produced upon the outer face of said disk by said Wire connections, a series of levers r0- tatably mounted upon said disk and each of said levers having a resilient contacting arm secured thereto and provided with a plurality of fingers for engagement with said contact points, upon the outer face of said disk, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

ROBERT O. HAMMOND. Witnesses:

BERNARD URDANG, SAMUEL HEYMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

